Strength of the World
by FoREVer Nightwing
Summary: Songfic for "Strength of the World" by Avenged Sevenfold.


**A/N: Don't get me wrong, I love Tim. I really do. It just makes me sad that Jason Todd wasn't in Invasion. The only (not very clear) reference we got was "Just don't die." Maybe he was killed in that five year time-skip. Maybe they did the same thing with Young Justice that they did with Batman: The Animated Series. I don't know, but I hope I find out.**

**Oh, yeah, this is a songfic for _Strength of the World _by Avenged Sevenfold (Damn, how many songfics am I gonna write with these guys?)**

**********EDIT:**** As I checked my e-mail, one of my stories recieved a very nasty review about the use of lyrics in my stories. I had also recived a PM from someone else (who was far nicer about it) about the same issue. I am removing all lyrics from my works. If you have a problem with that, I'm very sorry.**

* * *

**Strength of the World**

It took everything for him not to break down into tears.

Nightwing had told him that they couldn't find his mom… that she was most likely dead.

"I'm sorry, Tim." was all Nightwing said. He understood what the boy was going through.

After all, he had lost both of his parents.

At least he still had his father, though.

He still had somebody.

Nightwing didn't.

Maybe that's why he didn't cry as hard… he had someone to share that pain with.

His father became a lot more protective of him, too.

He'd always ask him where he was going, when he'd be back, if someone would be with him…

Of course, he couldn't blame him… his wife was killed! Of course he wouldn't want his son to have the same fate.

So, keeping that in mind, he'd answer the questions as close to the truth he could.

"Where are you going?"

"Downtown."

"When will you be back?"

"Around ten, maybe a little later..."

"Are you going with someone?"

"Yeah, Dick's coming with me."

"…Alright… just… be careful."

While most of it usually is true, he wished he could tell his father everything.

That his "job" with Bruce Wayne was actually patrolling Gotham as Robin.

That his "job" could get him killed or seriously injured on a nightly basis.

That the reason he started this was because his mother was killed.

He'd always talk about this with Dick.

He knew it was a bit selfish… Dick had many more problems than he did, but he just couldn't help it! There was only so much a teenaged boy could keep to himself.

And Dick never minded it much… he felt that Tim had every right to talk about it.

When Tim's father was murdered by Captain Boomerang, he almost went insane.

Dick had tried to talk to Tim several times… but Tim just ignored every phone call and didn't bother answering the door when he came by.

He didn't give up, though… one way or another, he'd talk to Tim.

Tim knew he couldn't avoid Dick forever… after all, Dick was older, wiser, and had been training with the goddamn Batman far longer than he had.

But he could still try.

And try he did. He thought of it as a training exercise, rather than ignoring the guy he thought of as an older brother.

Once again, he remembered that he couldn't avoid Dick forever.

Dick had managed to get into his house without setting off any alarms (_damn hacker_) and knew where to go to find Tim.

Tim cursed at himself when Dick did find him.

"Listen Tim." He said, "You can't go on like this forever."

"Watch me." Tim said bitterly.

Dick sighed. "Tim, I'm painfully aware of what you're going through. I lost everyone when I was nine. My mom, dad, aunt, and cousin are gone."

"I know that." Tim spat.

"My point is, you can't live in the past. You see, the reason I became Robin was so that no nine-year-old kid went through what I did. I know now, though, that it's an impossible goal… things like that, whether we like it or not, happen for a reason."

"So, why did you take over as Robin, Tim?" Dick asked.

"You know why. Batman needed a Robin." Tim said.

"No, Tim… I mean, why did you choose to become Robin… any other person could have done it, but you were the guy who decided to do it."

"…I wanted to help… I wanted to protect the innocent."

"Keep going… we both know you have more to say." Dick said.

"All those years ago… when your family died, and I saw it… when I deduced that you were Robin and Bruce was Batman… something inside me just… I dunno… I just wanted to help… and another part of me… that inner fanboy I guess… I didn't want the legend of Batman and Robin to die. So, to keep that legacy alive, I decided to take up that mantle." Tim said.

"Now do you see what I mean?" Dick asked.

"What?" Tim asked.

"Come on, Timmy, this is easy…" Dick laughed, "Things happen for a reason. My family died that night for a reason. I left for a reason. You took over, your parents died, all for a reason. We may not know what that reason is just yet, but in the end, we learn to live with it."

"…I think I see it now…" Tim said.

Dick smiled. "Good. I was starting to worry for a second there."

* * *

After all that, Tim was still a little unhappy, but it wasn't as bad as before.

Dick was willing to listen, and give some advice if he needed it.

He found that being with his friends both in Gotham and Mount Justice would make him feel a lot better.

Remembering the good times with his mother and father helped, too.

There were times when he felt that the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

At those times, he'd wish he could talk to his family.

He'd be close tears, if he wasn't already crying.

Other times, he felt better than that.

He'd wonder his parents would be proud of what he was doing.

"Hey… Dick?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, Tim?" Dick replied.

"Do you ever wonder if your parents are proud of what you do… who you've become?"

Dick thought about it.

"Yeah… I have. Sometimes, I think they wouldn't like it. Other times, I think they're happy to know that I'm doing something with my life." Dick replied.

Tim gave a small nod.

"Now… what do you think? Do you believe your parents are proud?" Dick asked.

"I… I don't know… they may not like it too much… but I think they're glad I'm doing something to help others."

Dick smiled. "Yeah. I think so, too."


End file.
